This summer, the best bet for budget travelers in the United States might be Las Vegas,
according to a new survey.The TripIndex 2012 survey by TripAdvisor compared the cost of an evening
out at 15 of the most popular big-city destinations in the nation as well as 48 of the most popular
urban destinations internationally.

A night out in Sin City, including a four-star hotel room, a round-trip taxi ride (2 miles each
way), cocktails (dry martinis, of course) and dinner for two will run about $263.

(The survey doesn’t account for detours to a blackjack table or slot machine, though.)

On the other hand, high rollers might consider New York, which, according to the survey, is the
most expensive U.S. city to visit. Taking a bite of the Big Apple for one night will take a $456
bite out of your wallet, on average.

Interestingly, Las Vegas gains an edge only because of its relatively cheap hotel rooms — $125 a
night on average. Dinner and cocktails are actually more expensive there than in every other U.S.
city in the survey, so you might want to bring a picnic.

The other top five budget U.S. destinations, in order, are Dallas (with the cheapest taxis); New
Orleans (with the cheapest restaurant meals —
bam!); Atlanta; and Orlando, Fla.

The most expensive destinations after New York are Boston (with the priciest hotel rooms at $354
a night), San Francisco, Washington and Honolulu (which has the most expensive taxi rides). The
five most expensive international destinations are all in Europe.

Travelers headed to the Summer Olympics be warned: London ranks as the most expensive city in
the world with an average night out running more than $518.

After London, the most expensive world cities are Oslo, Norway (where an average hotel room is a
relatively inexpensive $220 but dinner — steer clear of the
smalahove, by the way
— will set you back $191); Zurich; Paris (with the world’s most expensive cocktails —
Zut alors!); and Stockholm.

A world away — literally and in price — is Hanoi, Vietnam, the cheapest city in the survey,
where the average cost of an evening out is about $141.

The rest of the top five international bargain cities are Beijing (where an average taxi round
trip is $1.71 — the cheapest in the world); Bangkok (with the cheapest hotels at $81 a night and
the cheapest cocktails at $9.45); Budapest, Hungary; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Taipei, Taiwan, and Jakarta, Indonesia, also make the budget list, giving Asia six of the top 10
“best value” international cities.

Steve Stephens is the Dispatch travel writer. He can be reached at 614-461-5201 or by
email.